Isaiah 48 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 48
Refining, redemption and departure from Babylon
Verse 48:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:1 “Hear this, house of Jacob, you called by Israel's name, who came forth from Judah's waters, who swear by YHWH's name and invoke Israel's God, without truth or righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:1 “Hear these things, house of Jacob, you called by Israel's name, who came forth from Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord God of Israel, remembering without truth or righteousness,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek lacks Judah's waters and combines the divine designations into one oath formula. Its remembering has no expressed object, where Hebrew invokes Israel's God separately. Both accuse the named community of faithless religious speech.
Verse 48:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:2 For they call themselves people of the holy city and lean upon Israel's God; YHWH of hosts is His name.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:2 and cling to the holy city's name and lean upon Israel's God; His name is the Lord Sabaoth.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek clinging to the city's name replaces being called from it. Dependence upon Israel's God and the army title agree.
Verse 48:3 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:3 I declared the former things long ago; they went out from My mouth, and I made them heard. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:3 I announced the former things beforehand; they went out from My mouth and became heard. Suddenly I acted, and they arrived.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Prior announcement, public hearing, and sudden fulfillment agree.
Verse 48:4 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:4 Because I knew that you are stubborn, your neck an iron sinew and your forehead bronze,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:4 I know that you are stubborn, your neck an iron sinew and your forehead bronze.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The accusation and both metal images agree. Hebrew presents divine knowledge as the reason for five's advance disclosure; Greek gives an independent statement.
Verse 48:5 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:5 I declared it to you long ago, made you hear before it came, lest you say, ‘My idol did these things; my carved and cast images commanded them.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:5 I announced it to you long ago; before it came upon you I made you hear it. Do not say, ‘My idols did it,’ or say, ‘My carved and cast images commanded me.’
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek pluralizes the idol and makes the images command me rather than command the events. The purpose of preventing attribution to idols agrees.
Verse 48:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:6 You have heard; look at it all. And you—will you not declare it? From now on I let you hear new things, guarded things you did not know.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:6 You heard everything, but you did not understand. Yet I also made you hear the new things from now on, what is about to happen, and you did not speak.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew the command to see and question about declaring become Greek failures to understand and speak. Hebrew guarded or hidden matters become impending events. Both announce something new to the audience.
Verse 48:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:7 They are created now, not long ago; I let you hear before their day, and you had not heard them before, lest you say, ‘Look, I knew them.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:7 They happen now, not long ago; you did not hear them in earlier days. Do not say, ‘Yes, I know them.’
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both deny prior knowledge of newly disclosed events. Hebrew before their day is attached back to the disclosure verb with Rashi, and the supplied repetition makes that attachment readable [RASHI48]. Greek directly denies hearing in earlier days and says happen rather than are created.
Verse 48:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:8 You neither heard nor knew; your ear was not opened long ago. For I knew you would deal utterly treacherously; you were called a transgressor from the womb.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:8 You neither knew nor understood; from the beginning I did not open your ears. For I knew you would utterly reject faithfulness, and you would be called lawless even from the belly.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew an unopened ear becomes Greek God explicitly not opening the ears. Greek knowing and understanding replaces hearing and knowing and places the lawless designation in the future. Both intensify the charge of betrayal from earliest origins.
Verse 48:9 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:9 For My name's sake I delay My anger; My praise is this: I restrain it for you, so as not to cut you off.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:9 For My name's sake I will show you My anger and bring My glorious deeds upon you, so that I do not destroy you.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Hebrew delays and restrains anger; Greek shows anger and brings glorious deeds. Both state the purpose of preventing destruction. Hebrew praise as the restraint itself follows Rashi, rather than taking praise as a second motive [RASHI48].
Verse 48:10 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:10 Look, I refined you, but not as silver; I chose for you the crucible of poverty.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:10 Look, I sold you, but not for silver; I rescued you from a furnace of poverty.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Hebrew refining becomes Greek selling, and choosing the crucible becomes rescue from it. Hebrew choosing the poverty-crucible for the people follows Rashi; choosing or testing the people in affliction is another construal [RASHI48]. Both explicitly deny the silver comparison or price.
Verse 48:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:11 For My sake, for My sake I will act—for how could it be profaned? I will not give My glory to another.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:11 For My sake I will act for you, because My name is being profaned. I will not give My glory to another.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek states actual profanation of My name, where Hebrew asks how it could be profaned with the name implicit. It adds for you and lacks the repeated motive. The refusal to surrender divine glory agrees.
Verse 48:12 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:12 Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel whom I called. I am He; I am first, and I am last.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:12 Listen to Me, Jacob and Israel whom I call. I am first, and I am forever,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The calling and divine priority agree. Greek forever replaces Hebrew last and lacks the separate I am He statement.
Verse 48:13 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:13 My hand laid earth's foundation, and My right hand spanned heaven. I call to them; they stand together.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:13 and My hand founded the earth, and My right hand established heaven. I will call them, and they will stand together
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Earth's foundation, the divine right hand's work in heaven, and creation's response agree. Greek establishing replaces spanning and continues into fourteen's assembly.
Verse 48:14 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:14 Gather, all of you, and listen. Who among them declared these things? YHWH loves him; he will carry out His desire in Babylon and show His arm against the Chaldeans.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:14 and all will gather and hear. Who announced these things to them? Loving you, I carried out your will against Babylon, to remove the Chaldeans' offspring.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Hebrew the man loved by YHWH carrying out God's desire becomes Greek God loving you and fulfilling your will. Greek removal of offspring replaces the arm against Chaldeans and predicts a third-person assembly instead of commanding one. Rashi identifies the Hebrew man as Cyrus [RASHI48].
Verse 48:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:15 I, I spoke; I also called him, brought him, and his way prospered.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:15 I spoke, I called; I brought him and made his journey prosper.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The divine speech, calling, bringing, and success agree. Greek leaves the calling object implicit and makes God explicitly cause the journey's success.
Verse 48:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:16 Draw near to Me and hear this. From the beginning I did not speak in secret; from the time it came to be, I was there. And now Lord YHWH has sent me, and His spirit.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:16 Draw near to Me and hear these things. From the beginning I did not speak in secret or in a dark place of the earth. When it came to be, I was there; and now the Lord has sent me, and His spirit.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek adds the dark place of earth and has Lord instead of Lord YHWH. Both leave the attachment of and His spirit open: another sender or something also sent. Rashi discusses both a God-to-prophet speaker change and a continuous prophetic speech; neither identity is inserted into the wording [RASHI48].
Verse 48:17 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:17 Thus says YHWH, your Redeemer, Israel's Holy One: “I am YHWH your God, teaching you for your benefit and guiding you on the way you should go.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:17 Thus says the Lord who rescued you, Israel's Holy One: “I am your God. I have shown you how to find the road on which you will walk.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew ongoing beneficial teaching and guidance becomes Greek completed showing of how to find a road. Greek lacks the second divine name; redeeming holiness and divine instruction agree.
Verse 48:18 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:18 If only you had listened to My commands! Your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the sea's waves.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:18 If you had listened to My commands, your peace would have become like a river and your righteousness like a sea wave.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The unrealized obedience and resulting peace and righteousness agree, with Greek a single wave for Hebrew plural waves.
Verse 48:19 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:19 Your offspring would have been like sand, those from your belly like the sea's contents; his name would not be cut off or destroyed from before Me.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:19 Your offspring would have become like sand, those born from your belly like the earth's dust. Even now you will certainly not be destroyed, nor will your name perish before Me.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew the sea's contents follows Rashi's fish interpretation; grains of sand is another reading [RASHI48]. Greek instead explicitly has earth's dust and introduces a present assurance even now, changing the subject from his name to you and your name.
Verse 48:20 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:20 Leave Babylon; flee from the Chaldeans. With a ringing voice declare this and make it heard; send it out to the earth's end. Say, “YHWH redeemed His servant Jacob.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:20 Leave Babylon, fleeing from the Chaldeans. Announce a voice of rejoicing, and let this be heard; proclaim it to the earth's extremity. Say, “The Lord rescued His slave Jacob.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The departure from Babylon and universal joyful report of Jacob's rescue agree. Greek begins with a singular command, then shifts to plural proclamation.
Verse 48:21 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:21 They did not thirst as He led them through dry places. He made water flow from a rock for them; He split a rock, and water streamed out.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:21 Even if they thirst, He will lead them through a wilderness and bring water out of a rock for them. A rock will split and water will flow, and My people will drink.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew they did not thirst becomes Greek a condition if they thirst; completed provision becomes a future promise. Greek makes the rock's splitting passive and adds the people's drinking with an explicit My people.
Verse 48:22 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
48:22 “There is no peace,” says YHWH, “for the wicked.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
48:22 “There is no rejoicing for the ungodly,” says the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek rejoicing replaces Hebrew peace. Both deny the promised good to the wicked and identify the divine speaker.